This invention relates to a new and improved apparatus for testing the non-conductance of rubber matting under the application of high voltage.
Where electrical repairs are made in areas that have good electrical conductive substances such as steel or metal, it is necessary to provide an insulating mat that is relatively thin and lightweight on which the repairman may stand to assure his safety from electrical shocks. Such mats or matting materials must be portable so that the mats can be rolled out for use in a prescribed area and thence re-rolled and moved to the next location. It is necessary that such matting withstand high voltages. Such matting is particularly useful in areas such as decks of ships where there are electrical control panels and switch gears to provide proper insulation of the power stations from electrical shorts as well as provide safety for the workers at their locations. Apparatus used to test the dielectrical properties of such matting had means for unrolling small sections thereof for testing as to its resistance to the application of a high voltage. After one section or a portion of the roll is tested, the roll of matting material is advanced such as to position a new section for testing. Such process is slow. A further recent method and apparatus used a pair of spaced rolls that intermittently tested two spaced predetermined lengths of the matting material as it was transferred from one roll to the second roll. These machines were limited to a specific type and width of material as well as to its thickness. The present invention provides means for automatically testing spaced portions of different widths of materials as well as different thicknesses by providing replaceable deck plates that accommodated different sizes of matting materials to provide a versatile means for testing the dielectric properties of the matting materials. This test procedure and apparatus permits the continuous testing of the dielectric properties of different width and thickness materials in an economical manner without requiring a new test machine for different sizes. In addition by using a resilient foam member to back the metal plate member, variations in thickness of test material are accommodated by the test apparatus.